That said, I do see a lot of art. The thing that has struck me most is that the people who are at the top, in terms of making highly interesting, quality, professional work now are, by and large, the same people who were doing it 10 years ago. There are a few new people making significant contributions, and a few who have gone to their reward, but I'm surprised that there aren't more contenders for the ultimate prize: making something really worth while.

People like Mark Wethli, Noriko Sakanishi, Charlie Hewitt, Scott Davis, Alison Hildreth, and Fred Lynch are making some of the best work of their careers, decades into the enterprise. Maturity can, and does, find its way into the work of those who persist in pursuing the goal of finding a unique voice and doing something with it.

I see lots of work that looks like it was prepared to appear well in the pages of the art magazines, and lots more that seems like retreads of ideas that I saw in New York years ago. But every once in a while I run into a surprise, and that makes it worth it.

The year in Portland's art scene For lovers of spectacle, 2010 offered a lot of feasts. A fine collection of installations and site-specific works graced the greater city in 2010, challenging our perceptions and changing our surroundings.

Catch the summer art buzz Some parts of Portland may get quiet in the summer, but there's plenty action in the art biz. And lots of cruise-ship visitors this year to quicken the streets a bit.

Out of this world "The Great Haul" plunges from the 22-foot-high clerestory of the Portland Museum of Art's entryway, a tear-dropped fishnet that resolves just before it touches the ground.

Fall Film Preview: Underground big-screen shows One of the happiest and most unexpected developments in local arts culture over the past year has been the subtle yet persistent proliferation of DIY and/or locally-oriented movie nights in the area.

Fall Art Preview: Rising to the challenge Last weekend’s Block Party was a charming and invigorating celebration of Portland’s art community. The interactive evening, spearheaded by SPACE Gallery, set an ambitious standard for what’s to come on the art front rounding out this year.

Hope and energy As we launch into the next decade with a collapsing economy and apocalyptic themes bleeding into every facet of culture, it's particularly hard to be optimistic about the arts, as yes, they are often the first to go.

Art in the air conditioning From Picasso to William "Shrek" Steig's cartoons, and surfer photos to a Twilight Zone toy store, New England offers art worth traveling to this summer. Here we round up the best in the region, no matter the weather or your artistic inclinations.

Touring the PMA's Biennial The Portland Museum of Art 2011 Biennial features 65 works from 47 artists in an effort to showcase the best from today's local art scene.

Review: PMA show highlights Marin's modernist excellence For the first half of the 20th century John Marin (1870-1953) was considered one of the foremost American modernist painters, and this fine show of some 50 of his later works at the Portland Museum of Art gives us a good idea why.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM FREDERICK LYNCH AND WILLIAM MANNING | October 03, 2013 Both Frederick Lynch and William Manning are in their late 70s, both have taught others, and, more important, both have had a consistent arc over their long working careers. You can spot and identify works by either artist from a distance.

EXPLORING A MASSIVE EXPANSION AT COLBY’S MUSEUM | August 08, 2013 The Alfond-Lunder Family Pavilion at the Colby College Museum of art, just opened, has added some 66 percent to the museum’s existing exhibition space, to a total now of some 38,000 square feet. With the gift of the 500 or so objects from the Lunder Collection, it means they can fill the space without breaking into a sweat.